Jay Taft: Doubters of Chicago Bears' Marc Trestman quiet down

LAKE FOREST — It's not yet time to celebrate, but even the most obnoxious skeptics have taken their finger off the panic button.

Not that the Chicago Bears' season is saved, but instead its future just might be in good hands.

While the verdict is not yet in, and there is still plenty left to prove, it's becoming quite clear that Marc Trestman has gotten off on the right foot as the Bears head coach. From his one-big-happy-family attitude, to his quarterback-whispering skills, Trestman has shown that he has the mental makeup to build a winner.

Sure, Trestman's team is 5-3, and far from perfect. Sure, the aging defense has taken a step back, and special teams have been in a downward spiral under his watch. But when it comes to what was ailing the Bears the most — and what was driving the Bears' fans nuts for so long — Trestman is proving he can make a difference.

One false-start penalty on the season; fewer mental errors and only an average number of worthless timeouts; and nowhere near the catastrophic blunders that doomed this offense last year — and the year before, and the year before that.

The offensive line is worlds better than it was before he arrived, and the offense has gone from an annoying deficiency to a glaring strength. From 16th in the league in scoring last year (23.4 points per game) to second up to this point this season (30.0 ppg); from 28th in total offense last year (310.6 yards per game) to 10th this season (377.0 ypg); and from 29th in passing yards (187.4 ypg) to 14th this season (256.9 ypg).

Issues in Miami with one player bullying another into a mental breakdown have shown us how important a close-knit, locker-room atmosphere is. Trestman came in and immediately insisted on every Bears player treating the other with brotherly love, and he forced his ideas of togetherness and unity on everybody around him.

Some thought it to be goofy, or unimportant (uhmmm). Clearly, we were wrong.

"From the beginning," rookie offensive lineman Jordan Mills said, "(Trestman) has made sure we treat each other like a family."

He did away with hazing, made defensive players hang out with offensive guys, and brought all those millionaires together. And then when he needed everything to click with his backup quarterback starting in Green Bay, it did.

And let's not forget the fact that he's doing almost everything right on Game Day as well. His bold move to go for it on fourth down late in Monday's game could have been the game-saver.

No one's saying the rookie NFL skipper deserves an extension. But Trestman is winning us over.

Cutler may have said it best Thursday, when asked if he learned anything while standing on the sidelines.

"We still have a lot of work to do, and we still haven't arrived at where we want to be," he said. "But, we're definitely heading in the right direction."

The reason? That little guy that some said looks more like a computer programer than a head coach knows what he's doing.